Slender : Preserve
by Otorisosa-kan
Summary: She was a rare specimen. He wanted to study her. Her sister was ruthless and sinister. He wanted to use those traits. It started for Anne on the first day that they moved in. It started for Margret on the day that she struck Anne. What is the Slenderman's plans for these girls?
1. Chapter 1

"Well, we're here!"

Anne lifted her head up with tired eyes as she gazed upon the house her parents had just bought. Her eyes lit up when she saw swings and playground outside in the garden.

"It's bigger than that stinky apartment," Margret said as she climbed out of the car.

It was. There was even a garage. It was so different to the city. Lots of trees, pretty mountains and apparently there was a park with a beautiful lake around the back of the house. Anne wasn't sure about the move, she enjoyed listening to the traffic and watching the people on the street from their window.

"It's so we can have enough room for our new baby," Mr Valentine said as he opened the boot of the car to unpack.

Ms Lockhart, who kept her name when she married, came out and supported the growing baby bump carefully as she walked into the house with Margret. Anne hopped out and ran to the boot, taking out her favourite white teddy bear, Alice. A cold breeze passed, making her shiver. She turned her head and thought she saw someone in the woods. She shrugged it off as she didn't see anything and helped her father load the boxes into the house.

* * *

Anne finished off her dinner and looked up at Ms Lockhart.

"Mommy, can Alice and I go out and play?" she asked sweetly, blinking her red eyes happily.

Ms Lockhart smiled and leaned over to squeeze Anne's hand.

"Yes, Anne. Don't stay out too long. It's getting dark."

Anne picked Alice up and ran out. Her white hair blew in the wind as she climbed up the playground. Her eyes wandered over the garden wall and her heart seized as she saw someone in the forest, staring at her. She placed a hand over her heart and giggled. That was scary. Maybe someone lived near here? She leaned against the wooden rail to take a closer look. But in the blink of an eye, the person had disappeared. Anne frowned and looked at Alice.

"Who do you think that was?" she asked.

Alice remained silent as Anne sat on the slide with her on her lap and slid down. Anne ran to the swings next and sat Alice in one whilst taking the other. She began swinging enthusiastically, daydreaming and thinking up of more stories to write in her journal that she got for her fifth birthday.

_"Anne…"_

Anne's cute white buckle shoes screeched on the ground as she heard her name being called and looked over her shoulder, expecting to see Margret wanting a go on the swings. But there was no-one, just the back gate swinging in the late summer breeze. Anne felt cold and shivered then turned away.

"Anne!"

Anne jumped out of her skin when Margret came and pushed Alice off the other swing. Anne clenched the chains that held the swing up but didn't react. As Margret swung, Alice got kicked away. Anne was used to the bullying from Margret. Margret always got away with everything. Anne got up, picked Alice up and ran back inside, tears brimming her eyes. Margret kept swinging with a smug look on her face. In the darkening woods, a stationary figure watched her.

* * *

Anne yawned as she scribbled down her story in her journal by her new desk in her sky blue pyjamas with little clouds printed all over the cotton. She left the window open because she ended up being in the room that accumulated the most heat. The cool night air was refreshing and it calmed the young child. The door opened and Mr Valentine poked his head into the room.

"It's time to go to sleep now, Anne," he smiled kindly at her.

"Alright," Anne smiled back.

Mr Valentine closed the door as Anne opened up the top drawer of the desk to put the journal and pencil inside. She saw a piece of paper wedged at the back. Curious, she pulled it out and took a look at it. The page was covered in frantic scribbles which looked like trees. Anne frowned as she studied the picture closer. There was a stick figure amongst the trees. With a shrug, Anne put the page back inside with the journal and switched the light off. She snuggled under the blankets and drifted off the sleep quite quickly, cuddling Alice close to her chest.

* * *

Anne dreamt a rather vivid dream. She was in the forest in just her pyjamas, holding a torch. It was cold, she was shivering. She could really feel the cold. And then…she saw a note pinned upon a massive scary tree. It was the page she found in her desk drawer. She took it off and looked at it, wondering how it got outside. Suddenly, she felt her heart throb and constrict. Something heavy, probably tension, probably her imagination, landed on her shoulders and she turned around. She dropped the note as she saw a suit but blacked out. She landed into a pair of skeletal hands, she could feel. They were so cold and they wrapped around her small body.

_"You are different."_

* * *

Anne woke up with a jolt and a silent gasp. She wasn't holding Alice and she wasn't anywhere on the bed. Anne looked down and sighed when she saw Alice lying on the floor. She bent down and scooped her up. But when she looked up, she dropped Alice again. In the corner, next to the desk, in the darkest shadows stood a figure. He was tall, his head nearly touched the ceiling and he had long arms. The shadows hid his face so Anne couldn't see him clearly. But with the blink of an eye, he was gone and Anne ran to her parents' room.

"Mom?" she whispered as she tapped her mother's shoulder.

"Mmm…Anne?" Ms Lockhart opened her eyes and looked at her daughter.

"Mom, there was a man in my room," Anne whispered as she started to feel sweaty and shaky "A very tall man. He…he…he was staring at me but he disappeared…"

"Anne, I think it was just a figment of your imagination," Ms Lockhart murmured and pulled the covers back "Would you like to sleep with us?"

Anne flinched when her spine shivered and she turned to see a brief figure rush across the garden. Anne looked towards her parents and jumped into bed with them, hugging them tightly for dear life.


	2. Chapter 2

It had been two years since the Valentine-Lockharts had moved into the new house. Anne was seven years old now, her mind expanding with learning new words and gaining more inspiration for stories. Alice sat on the bed watching Anne write at her desk. Her handwriting was messier now as Anne hurried her writing. She was always behind in classes at her new school, no-one knew why. She was confused, the teacher told her to write neatly but when Anne put in that effort, she was behind with writing notes. So she hurriedly wrote and her work got messier and messier. The teacher wasn't very happy with her. Anne cursed as her fountain pen ran out of ink and realised that she didn't have any more cartridges to refill it. Placing her pen down and getting up, Anne reached for her doorknob with ink stained fingers. A cold wind blew across her room and she looked at the open window. She always kept it open. Normal people would close the window. But she left it open because she wanted to meet the thing that kept haunting her.

With another look around her room, Anne opened the door and went downstairs to ask for more ink cartridges. She found her parents in the living room, Ms Lockhart playing with little Jack and Mr Valentine helping Margret with her homework. She bit her lip. It was tough to be the middle child. Anne would only admit it somewhat, she probably had middle child syndrome. Anne didn't mind the lack of attention, she was used to being quiet and keeping her problems to herself. Besides, she had Alice to keep her company. And whatever was out there watching her. Anne stood at the doorway, watching whilst being unseen by her family. She wondered, was the invisible angel standing behind her, watching her whilst being unseen too?

Yes, she named it the invisible angel. Why? She often knew it was around but couldn't see it. She felt like it didn't come from their world so maybe it came from heaven or hell. If it came from hell, it would have been a demon and demons often approach a person with a deal. If it came from heaven, then it would have been an angel and angels often just watch over the person. But Anne was confused, if it was an angel, why wasn't it helping her with her bullying problems? Why didn't it go to Margret and tell her to stop picking on her? Why didn't it go to her mother and tell her that Anne wanted to have help in school? Why didn't it go to her father and tell him that Anne wanted his attention?

Anne didn't know how to ask for attention. It felt like a selfish thing to do. She never asked for help in classes, the teacher was normally busy with work. She never asked for help with her homework, her parents were otherwise occupied. She didn't have any friends because of the albino gene which isolated her. Everyone called her a demon, she didn't belong here, she should go back to hell. It hurt and Anne would cry in front of everyone. If a teacher came past, they would think she's only seeking attention because she was a middle child.

After realising that she was in a situation where she was in no position to speak, Anne walked back up to her room and stayed there. She was a good girl, wasn't she? She did all her homework, she ate everything on her plate and she was on her best behaviour all the time. Most children would resort to rebelling and screaming to get attention. But what would Anne gain from that? Timeouts, privileges taken away and no leaving the house for a weekend? Anne didn't want that.

Hugging Alice to her chest, Anne fiddled with her ears curiously then gasped. There was another one. Another note hiding in the curtain. Anne jumped from her bed and grabbed it, looking at it like it was an important news broadcast. She had found three now. The second one was on the climbing frame and Anne wondered how Margret never found it in the end. Anne went to her desk and placed the three notes on the surface. There was the first note with the drawing, the second one had 'Leave me alone' written across it which had Anne confused when she found it and now the third one said 'Follows' on it. There was a picture of the stick figure and tree next to it. Anne frowned. She had a feeling that the invisible angel was leaving them behind. Perhaps these notes were clues to a puzzle of some kind?

Anne jolted when she heard her bedroom door creak and she immediately swept the papers into the top drawer and turned to see Margret enter.

"I was told that you might be upset," she sneered as she twirled one of her bronze curls with a finger "I'm here to cheer you up."

She shut the door and Anne stood up warily. Margret folded her arms and towered over her little sister.

"I'm going to stay here for five minutes and afterwards, you will tell Mummy and Daddy that you are happy and say that you don't need anyone cheering you up," she sneered.

"I'm afraid I can't do that," Anne whispered.

Margret looked angry and Anne had a feeling she knew what was coming next.

"Oh really? Why?"

"It would be lying."

Margret snarled and grabbed Alice. Anne gasped and stepped forward, her arms frozen in mid-air as she contemplated what might happen if she even did try to snatch her precious teddy bear back. Margret stormed towards the door with Alice in tow.

"You won't see your stupid toy until you 'cheer up'!" she whispered nastily.

"Alice!"

Anne ran forward to beg Margret to give Alice back but got a fist around the face. The poor girl collapsed to the ground and began sniffling pathetically as Margret walked out, closed the door and went to her room. Anne lay on the floor, holding her cheek and cried as quietly as possible to avoid any attention from her parents. They wouldn't believe her if she said Margret hit her. Margret would just say she slipped and fell and they'd believe her. Anne sniffed and froze when the wind blew through the window. She saw a pair of shoes and slowly looked up. In her bedroom light, Anne saw a clear view of the invisible angel. It extended an outgrown skeletal white hand for her to take. Her hand was so tiny in its as she was helped up and sat on her bed. It sat down with her and she flinched when a tentacle from its back came round and circled her shoulders. The angel stroked her head with one finger.

_"Tell me what it is that is troubling you, little one."_

Anne sniffed and wiped the tears away from her eyes.

"It's…nothing…" she whispered.

_"I have seen everything since the day you arrived here, Anne."_

Anne looked up at the creature and bowed her head.

"I want Margret to stop picking on me because I look different," she said "I want to know how to ask for attention. And…I want a friend who likes me for who I am."

The angel tilted its head and when Anne looked up, her breath hitched when she saw it had no face. But that seemed logical, you weren't allowed to see an angel's face so they hide them when they come to you.

_"I can help you, Anne," _it spoke _"I will be your friend and I will teach you how to gain the attention you wish."_

"What about Margret?"

_"…I'll go and meet her. I'm sure I'll be able to convince her to stop her bullying."_

Anne's face seemed to light up and she hugged its skinny body. The other tentacles came round and hugged her back, its finger still stroking her head.

"Thank you," she whispered.

* * *

Margret listened to her music in full blast as she surfed the Internet with her laptop after placing Alice on top of her wardrobe where Anne couldn't get it. She smiled to herself once she found One Direction's new music video and clicked on the link. But as it begin to load, Margret noticed her laptop screen getting distorted and glitching. She sighed.

"Not another virus!" she groaned "I swear I updated the Norton subscription!"

The lights suddenly went out and Margret frowned in frustration.

"But I just installed a new light bulb," she muttered.

She felt dizzy suddenly and held her head. And that was when she realised…she wasn't alone. She looked up and gasped when she saw a faceless man in the corner of her room.

_"Hello, Margret."_

With a shrill scream, Margret jumped to her feet and ran out of her bedroom.

"Mummy! Daddy! There's a man in my room!"

Mr Valentine sighed irritably as Jack was woken up from Margret's screaming and began screaming himself. Ms Lockhart picked him up and bounced him gently up and down as Mr Valentine turned to Margret who stood at the doorway.

"Margret, could you please keep your voice down?" he asked in a whisper as Jack calmed down.

"There's a man in my room, call the police!" Margret looked exasperated.

With a frown, Mr Valentine went with her upstairs to her bedroom, only to find nothing but a working laptop and the light turned on. Margret looked bewildered as Mr Valentine folded his arms impatiently.

"Margret, please don't disturb Jack again or I'll take your laptop away from you."

"But he was right there! Standing in the corner and staring at me! He even knew my name!"

"Margret, I will not tolerate this."

As Mr Valentine left, Margret hurriedly shut the door and closed all her windows, locking them. She didn't notice that Alice wasn't on the top of her wardrobe anymore.

* * *

Anne didn't hear Margret scream because she was fast asleep. Her light was off and she just lay in her school uniform on the top of the bed. She only woke up when the wind blew across her body and she opened her eyes to see the angel towering over her. She sat up and smiled as he presented Alice to her and hugged the white bear close to her. In the other hand, the angel presented ink cartridges for her pen.

_"Margret says she's sorry and wanted me to give you back your bear and some ink cartridges for your pen," _it said and Anne smiled.

"Thank you," she smiled up at it.

"Anne, it's bedtime!" Ms Lockhart called through the door.

"OK, Mummy!"

Anne was helped by the angel to get changed, washed and into bed. She smiled up at it as it tucked her in with Alice and brought the blankets around her.

"What's your name?" she asked.

_"I am known by many names. The most common name is Slenderman."_

"Will you come back?"

There was a pause.

_"I'll come back every evening."_

Anne smiled up at the Slenderman happily and closed her eyes. There was a flicker in the moonlight and the Slenderman had disappeared. He then reappeared in Margret's room, who had barricaded her door with her desk and wardrobe.


	3. Chapter 3

Anne swung on the swings as she watched Jack play on the climbing frame. It was a beautiful summer's day and Jack was entertained enough with the butterflies. Anne smiled to herself. Soon he was going to go to his first day at school. Anne looked up at the house in thought. Poor Margret. She has been having hallucinations for the past two years. Anne was left at home alone with Jack to babysit because her parents had taken Margret to the doctor, to see what was wrong with her. Things have changed for Anne too, she's been getting more confident with her work because she asked for help at school. She needed learning support. It was a surprise to both of her parents to why they hadn't noticed it before. Anne had processing problems in reading and writing. So she's allowed extra time in exams and tests now.

Anne wasn't confident enough to find friends though. In fact, because the teachers saw her as actually quite intelligent, she's been more isolated from the class. But there have been people coming up to her to ask what was wrong with Margret. Margret hadn't been getting enough sleep, she keeps on screaming and saying that there's someone trying to kill her when no-one could see nothing, she's been drawing rather disturbing pictures and just recently, she's been using her video camera, that she got for her tenth birthday, a lot on herself. Anne was afraid that Margret would have to go to the mental asylum.

Anne remembered a few months ago, she was taken to a social worker. They had a couple of sessions and they said she had Asperger Syndrome. She was different in a social aspect. She didn't know the difference between appropriate things to say and inappropriate things. Anne supposed that was the reason why she rarely spoke to other children, they didn't like what she talked about. Anne was so enthusiastic about her stories, she told Slenderman about them. He listened, the other children didn't. He liked to listen to her stories and he didn't interrupt her conversation. Anne smiled to herself. He was a very good friend.

_"Anne."_

Anne stopped swinging and turned towards the park. There he stood, amongst the trees. But in the blink of an eye, he was gone. That was a sign to say that he wanted to meet with her again. Anne looked over to Jack and frowned. She shouldn't leave Jack alone at home. What if someone dangerous came and took him? But she couldn't take him over to meet Slenderman either. Slenderman was supposed to be kept a secret between him, her and Alice. With a sigh, Anne got up and picked Alice up from the other swing.

"Jack! It's time to go inside!"

"Five more minutes!" Jack shouted as he jumped up and down on the climbing frame.

"Jack, I'm going to get colouring pencils and paper so you can draw me a nice pretty picture!"

Jack jumped off the climbing frame and ran inside as Anne grabbed the pencils and paper and set them on the table. He grabbed a pink pencil and began scribbling away. Anne smiled to herself and placed a hand on his shoulder.

"I'm going to go out for a while and I'm going to lock the doors so no-one nasty can get you," she said.

"OK, but what if someone nasty gets you?"

Jack looked up at her with wide brown eyes and Anne smiled.

"I'll be safe."

She took Alice and went outside. She locked the back door and went out to the park, closing and locking the gate. Pausing, Anne tilted her head when she found a note on the back of the gate. She took it, folded it neatly and placed it in her pocket. She then went into the forest and wandered down the pathway. Eventually, she reached an old tent and tilted her head to the side curiously. It looked abandoned and she wondered why the campers hadn't packed it up.

_"Anne."_

Anne turned around and looked up to see Slenderman towering over her. With a warm smile, she stretched her arms out and hugged him. He hugged her back, his tentacles and arms holding her in a warm embrace. Anne smiled warmly as a soothing tentacle stroked her head.

* * *

It was too perfect. Slenderman watched the sleeping girl sleep against the tent with her teddy bear secure in her arms. She smiled and yawned cutely. She'd been sleeping for a couple of hours now. Stroking her head with a tentacle, the Slenderman stared at the house that could just be seen through the trees. The parents and the older sister weren't back yet. They were at the doctors, just like the others had gone. The little boy was still drawing and drawing, not noticing the time that had gone by. At least he wasn't too suspicious about how long his sister has been gone for.

Slenderman looked back down at Anne and stroked her head again. Just perfect. This little girl in his snare couldn't have been in a better position. Anne Valentine-Lockhart. The middle child. The Autistic child. The albino. The writer. Slenderman began looking around in her pockets with a different tentacle and discovered not only the page she had found earlier, but some notes on a story. He placed the page back and began reading the notes curiously. After a few minutes, he put the notes back and watched as Anne turned over and hugged him in her sleep with Alice. He looked up and began thinking.

Margret Valentine-Lockhart. The eldest child. The drawer. Drawings were more obvious than writing. Margret was quite the drama queen. She was nice and loud, her parents found out that there was something wrong very quickly. She was paranoid and thoroughly affected by the Slender Sickness that he was able to give to humans. Slenderman had been in her room and saw stacks and stacks of drawings for him to use for future victims. Her parents must have seen them too. Slenderman smirked as he looked down at Anne and stroked her hair more. Perhaps if they bothered to read through Anne's stories, they would have realised that Anne has been afflicted with the Slender Sickness since the very first day.


	4. Chapter 4

Margret bit her nails as she looked over the footage she had recorded throughout the course of the day. It calmed her to watch what she had recorded. The footage of the current tape started at the moment the family had come back after the day at school.

"Margret, is it really necessary to record every second you're living?" Ms Lockhart asked as Margret opened the boot and took out her school bags.

"One way or another, I'll prove to you that I'm not crazy!" Margret argued as she faced the camera at her mother.

"You sound pretty crazy to me."

Margret jumped as she realised how smooth Anne's voice sounded. The young pre-teenager smirked up at her and held Jack's hand whilst walking into the house. Margret saw the screen go static and turned around to only see the tall figure briefly before it disappeared. Nodding to herself, Margret continued watching. Nothing eventful really happened until dinner time. Margret had set the video camera on the dinner table facing the window as everyone ate. Mr Valentine and Ms Lockhart didn't object as Jack made funny faces to the camera. Anne hadn't arrived yet, which struck Margret as odd. She hadn't noticed that. Anne came to the table later on and Margret jumped again. The screen went static briefly when she sat down and looked at the camera.

"Have you caught your stalker yet?" she asked Margret with a soft smirk and began eating her steak.

"Don't act so smart," Margret sneered at her as they kept eating.

Margret felt an eerie aura emanating off Anne as she finished quickly. She swiftly got up, washed her plate and went back upstairs to her bedroom. Margret finished and decided to follow her into her room. She went into the room and saw Anne writing her stories as usual. Anne heard the door open and turned around to look up at Margret.

"What is it?" she asked and Margret noticed how tame and timid she looked.

"Why don't you ever stay around and converse with us anyway?" Margret asked "You're awfully quick to eat dinner then come straight back up here."

Margret saw the confusion flicker in Anne's eyes and watched her little sister look down in thought.

"Dinner?"

The screen distorted briefly and Anne was smiling up at Margret.

"Well, I had this new idea of a story and wanted to write it down as soon as possible," she replied with a smile "Is there anything else?"

Margret's camera went around the room and spotted Anne's window open. With a startled gasp, Margret ran over and slammed it closed, locking it and taking a look outside before drawing the curtains.

"What was that for?" Anne asked.

"Never leave your window open like that," Margret said "It's night time, that thing might get in and start stalking you."

Anne laughed and it made Margret's spine shiver.

"You have such an imagination, Margret," she smiled.

Margret left the room and the battery ran out at that point. Margret pulled the camera away from her and frowned. Anne had been rather…charismatic lately. It confused Margret to how her younger, timid sister managed to get a handful of friends and be so smooth with her words. She would have such an eerie smile at times too, perhaps she was just growing up? No, no-one's personality can change just that dramatically. Maybe…perhaps, just maybe…Anne might have schizophrenia or be bipolar? Margret silently hoped that was the case, it was bad enough to be labelled a nutcase in this household alone. Margret set the video camera onto record and set it up on her bedside table. As she got herself into bed and closed her eyes, she fell asleep pretty quickly. The camera picked up the shadow that moved across her in the moonlight and moved her pictures that were pinned up on the wall above her bed.

* * *

Anne was in tears. She curled up on her bed, hugging Alice close to her chest and cried and cried. She was so scared. Margret came up to her room and mentioned that she was quick to eat her dinner and come back up to her room. But Anne didn't remember any of that! She didn't remember going downstairs, eating the food then coming back up! And that's when she began thinking. Anne couldn't remember anything that happened at school. She couldn't even remember how she even got to her room in the first place! All she remembers is writing stories at her desk and Margret coming into her room, telling her about what happened at dinner. But even the next few minutes were a blur to her! She didn't remember closing her window or seeing Margret leave! Anne was so confused and she cried harder. There was a small tap on her window and she looked up to see Slenderman staring at her. She hurriedly opened the window and he slid inside, sitting on her bed.

_"You're crying. What's wrong?"_

Anne wiped the tears away but more came still. Slenderman wrapped his tentacles around her and embraced her gently. Anne hugged him back.

"I think I have amnesia," she whispered.

_"Amnesia?"_

"I don't remember anything that happened at dinner this evening," Anne croaked as his soothing tentacles stroked her head "And I don't remember anything that happens at school either! Maybe…maybe I need help?"

_"No, no, there are lots of reasons for forgetting things," _Slenderman cooed and stroked her cheek softly _"Maybe you just need time to recall your memories."_

"Do you really think so?" Anne sniffed as she looked up at his faceless head.

_"Of course. Your head is often full of ideas and inspiration for your fantastic stories. Perhaps you just get so distracted in your own little world, that you don't notice or remember some things."_

Anne smiled and sniffed, wiping away more tears.

_"Now, let's get you ready for bed."_

It was like a routine. Anne and Slenderman getting her into her pyjamas and tucking her into bed happened every evening. They would share stories too and soon Anne would be tucked underneath the blankets with Alice and fast asleep. Slenderman often lingered next to her, petting and stroking her whilst she dreamed. Another sly smirk crept onto his faceless face.

_"It won't be long now."_

And in the blink of an eye, Anne was alone again in her room.


	5. Chapter 5

Aw, how sweet. Anne's been crying again. Slenderman smirked in delight as he stood outside of Anne's room as she wiped her tears, hugging Alice on her lap and writing on a piece of paper. She hadn't noticed him yet, she seemed more distant now. Slenderman sensed that she was still worried about her episodes of amnesia. Oh, the poor little thing didn't know a thing, she was so easily manipulated. Slenderman stepped out of sight when he saw the door open and saw the little brother come into the room and synced his mind with Anne's to hear the conversation.

"Anne, what's the matter?" Jack asked "You've been crying."

"I'm fine, Jack," Anne replied as she threw a tearstained tissue into the bin.

"You're not fine."

Anne looked down at Jack who came up to her, his brown eyes wide and imploring.

"It makes me upset when I see you sad," he said.

Anne smiled and ruffled his hair. Her smile then faltered and she sighed.

"Jack, you're right, I'm not fine," she replied.

"What? What's wrong?"

Anne opened her mouth but Slenderman suddenly jerked his head and a searing pain went through Anne's head. She winced and placed a hand on her head as Jack placed a hand on her arm.

"Anne? Anne!"

The real Anne was pushed aside as Slenderman opened Anne's eyes and smiled down at the small boy.

"I'm feeling ill," he spoke through her mouth and voice "I don't think I'll be able to come to see your school play."

"Aw!"

Jack looked disappointed but Slenderman used Anne's body to hug him comfortingly.

"It's alright, I'll watch the video of it instead," he told him.

"But it's your birthday tomorrow…will you be well then?"

Slenderman smiled.

"Yes, I will be. There's no need to worry."

Jack smiled up at her and hugged her again. Slenderman told him to go downstairs and get ready to leave and tell their parents that Anne was ill and unable to leave so she would have to stay here with Margret, who needed to stay behind to do her homework. Jack nodded, gave her another hug and ran out. Slenderman steadily let his grip go from the control her had. Anne slowly blinked and looked around.

"Jack…?" she whispered then held her hands in her head "Not again!"

Slenderman smirked slyly.

* * *

There must be something wrong with her. There has to be. Anne threw her fountain pen down in agitation and hugged Alice close. It was frustrating! Anne tried to tell her parents that she might have memory problems but the moment she got out of her room, everything went black and she'd be back in her room, writing. Anne jumped and landed on her bed, curling up into a small ball. She had tried everything. From writing on a piece of paper to remind herself to having to write on her body. But the moment she stepped out of her room, she'd be back by her desk with the reminder gone. Even when she used permanent marker to write on her shirt, she went out but found herself back at her desk without her shirt. She tried writing a letter and leaving it on her desk but then she'd find that it was gone and her parents hadn't received it. Margret never listened to her so she didn't bother with her.

"Anne?"

Anne turned around and saw her father. Joy and excitement filled her as she sat up.

"Father! I have to…"

But everything went black.

* * *

Anne woke up as Mr Valentine tucked her into bed and smiled down at her.

"Father?" she croaked and coughed.

She felt so hot. When did she have a fever?

"Ssh," Mr Valentine hushed and swabbed her forehead "It's alright, you'll be fine in a couple of days. It's such a pity that you caught such a high fever before your birthday."

"Father, I…"

"Just get plenty of rest now. Goodnight."

Mr Valentine kissed her head and left the room. Anne sat up to go after him but felt dizzy. She collapsed and fell fast asleep. Outside, Slenderman kept a close eye on her.

* * *

Anne woke up quite randomly in the middle of the night. She blinked in confusion as she sat up and felt perfectly fine despite the fever she had caught. Her heart leapt when she saw a piece of paper outside her room and ran out, slowly taking it and examining it. This was the eighth one.

"Don't look…or it takes you?" Anne whispered the words off the page.

The clock struck midnight and Anne stood up, frowning down at the note. A skeletal hand laid itself on her shoulder and Anne looked up at Slenderman.

_"Let's take Margret to our special hiding place."_

A memory of a cabin up in the mountains flashed in Anne's memory and she smiled.

"I think she'll like it there," she said.

Slenderman offered a hand and she took it, leading him down the corridor to Margret's room.

* * *

Margret was furiously scribbling away at another piece of paper, drawing another picture of Slenderman. Everyone had to know, there was something, not someone, something out there and it was driving her insane. Everyone out there had to know that it existed. She jumped when the clock struck midnight and realised that she wasn't that tired. She jumped with a startled gasp as there was a knock on the door.

"Margret," Anne spoke "Are you there?"

"Yes I'm here," Margret answered as she took her camera up "Oh, it's your birthday now isn't it? Happy Birthday, or whatever…"

Anne opened the door and poked her head through. She smiled at Margret.

"I want to show you something," she whispered and gave an eerier smile.

Margret screamed as she saw Slenderman and the camera went static as she dropped it and jumped out of the window.

* * *

When Jack and his parents arrived back home, they were met by deathly silence. Anne and Margret were gone and Margret's tape was destroyed beyond repair.


	6. Chapter 6

Jeremy gasped as he ran up the mountains, equipped with only a flashlight. He panted as he turned around and jumped again when he saw the arm of the monster which he called the Operator around the corner. He ran faster, panting heavily as he ascended the path he found. He saw a small cabin up higher and began running towards that. He opened the door and ran inside, closing the door behind him, hoping to hide in here. It was cold and it was dark, Jeremy even felt a draft. He followed the draft to a rusted door and slowly opened it. There was a scream and a loud smack into the metal and Jeremy briefly saw a bloody mask before he managed to slam the door back closed and barricaded it with the nearby planks. There was a furious banging against the steel as Jeremy stepped away, regaining his breath. He found a staircase after wondering around some more and slowly went upstairs.

"Rrr…"

Jeremy turned and leapt when he saw a creature crouching at the end of the corridor, growling and staring at him with wide glowing eyes. It had long nails that were covered in blood, slowing tapping the floor as Jeremy slowly stepped away from the staircase and into the nearest room. He breathed a soft sigh of relief and turned around. He saw pages and pages of writing strewn around the place and then he realised that he wasn't alone. There was someone tucked into the bed, cuddling a white bear. It was a teenage girl, about his age. She smiled in her sleep and yawned. Jeremy carefully approached her and shook her awake.

"Hey," he whispered "Excuse me?"

Red eyes opened and looked up at him curiously. She frowned and tilted her head to the side curiously.

"Who are you?" she asked as she sat up.

She was in an ice blue dress which was neither dirty nor torn. She had thick wavy white hair down past her hips, well brushed and shiny but messy from the lack of trimming. She looked out of place in the old cabin, looking so beautiful, so new…so human. But Jeremy didn't take that into account.

"My name is Jeremy," he said as he gestured to himself "Who are you?"

"Who am I?"

The girl had to look away briefly and then smiled up at him.

"My name is Anne," she replied "This is Alice."

She held up the old white teddy bear and Jeremy looked behind him carefully.

"Is this your home?" he asked.

"My home?"

Anne looked away briefly and then smiled, nodding.

"Yes, I live here," she replied.

"There is something in your home," Jeremy whispered "And there's something out there too. We need to get out of here."

"We?"

Anne frowned.

"But…I don't want to leave."

"Look, there are things out there that are wanting to kill us, we have to leave."

"But I…"

Jeremy took Anne's hand.

"Don't worry, I'll protect you."

Anne was pulled up to her feet and Jeremy carefully opened the door. The creature was still crouching at the end of the corridor, growling and tapping its overgrown claws onto the wood. It raised its head and growled louder when it saw Anne behind Jeremy. Anne stared at it and smiled.

"Hello, Rake," she whispered and Jeremy turned his head towards her.

"You named it?" he whispered.

"That is his name," Anne said "He keeps me safe."

"He doesn't look friendly," Jeremy commented as Rake began to stand.

Rake began growling louder and Jeremy dragged Anne down the stairs. There was a piercing shriek and the metal door slammed open. Jeremy lost his grip on Anne's hand as a figure crashed into him. Anne fell to the floor as Jeremy tussled with the figure. The masked creature was screaming and clawing at him and Jeremy resorted to bashing it over the head with his flashlight. The creature screamed and fell off Jeremy who grabbed Anne, hauled her up and ran out of the cabin with her. He gasped when he nearly ran into Slenderman and Anne looked up at him. Slenderman saw Anne and lurched, his tentacles waving angrily. He was enraged by the sight of Anne and Jeremy thought that Anne was a victim that managed to escape him. Anne opened her mouth to speak but Jeremy jerked her arm and dragged her down the pathway, back down into the forest below.

* * *

Slenderman hissed and sent the Rake and his two blemished proxies, Margret and Kate, after the boy and Anne. He wasn't finished with altering and changing Anne's mind yet! It was a very long and delicate process, Anne could either become blemished or die if he didn't continue his daily maintenance. Everything would be ruined if that boy steered Anne's mind away from his control. And if his Anne is ruined, he would make sure to kill the boy slowly.

* * *

"What the hell was that place?" Jeremy asked as he and Anne ran through the forest "Have you been trapped in there?"

"Trapped?"

Anne paused as she looked back, seeing Slenderman in the distance.

"It was my home."

"Really? Wow, must be tough to be trapped in your own home."

"Trapped…in my own home?"

Anne continued running with Jeremy as it began to rain.

"So, did you live with your parents or something?"

"Parents?"

Anne blinked and shook her head.

"I don't know what parents are."

"Oh finally, a road!"

Jeremy left Anne standing by the side of the road and looked up and down to try and catch the attention of any passing vehicles. Anne stood listlessly on the edge, watching him. Jeremy saw blue lights up ahead and began jumping up and down.

"Hey!" he called "Hey! Help us!"

A police car pulled up and Jeremy knocked on the window door urgently.

"What's the matter here?" the policeman asked as he looked at Jeremy.

"Help us!" Jeremy panted "We need to get out of here now."

There was a loud bang and Jeremy looked up in alarm as Rake landed on top of the police car and began screaming. The policeman cursed as he fumbled for his hand gun whilst Rake tore open the roof and snatched the arrested man that was in the back. Anne stood and watched, her face void of emotion. Jeremy's eyes widened as Rake made off with the screaming man, leaving a trail of blood.

"What the hell was that?" the policeman asked as he stepped out to watch Rake disappear into the forest.

"Some kind of monster that has been chasing us…" Jeremy said and turned around, his eyes going wide when he saw Anne "Anne! Watch out, he's behind you!"

Anne blinked and turned around, looking up at Slenderman who towered over her.

_"Anne, come back with me," _he crooned and offered a hand for her to take.

Anne looked at his hand and slowly lifted her hand to place in his. But Jeremy snatched her hand as the policeman fired at Slenderman. Slenderman let out a screech of agony as Jeremy shoved Anne into the back of the police car.

"Drive!"

The policeman got in and slammed his foot on the accelerator, speeding away. Jeremy sighed in relief and noticed Anne looking back at where Slenderman had been. He placed an arm around her shoulders, feeling pretty heroic and smiled.

"Don't worry, everything's going to be alright," he assured her.

Anne looked away and stared ahead blankly. The policeman regarded her in his rear-view mirror.

"Say, haven't I seen you somewhere before?" he asked.

Anne looked at him.

"Have you seen me somewhere before?" she murmured and blinked then shook her head.

"I'm pretty sure I have…" the policeman muttered "Listen, how about I take you two to the police station and we'll sort you out, yeah?"

"Sure…" Jeremy breathed and smiled down at Anne "I live in the village, I'll be able to get back home when you're done."

Jeremy didn't notice Anne's eyes glowing eerily in the dim light.

* * *

"Ah-ha! I knew I saw you somewhere before!"

Anne looked up as the policeman showed her a missing poster which had her picture on it.

"Annabelle Valentine-Lockhart," he said read out loud "Thirteen years of age, half a million pounds reward if found alive."

He then held up another missing poster with Margret's face on it.

"You disappeared along with your sister on your thirteenth birthday," he said as Anne stared at it blankly "Do you remember what happened during that night?"

"Valentine-Lockhart…" Anne said as she stared at the poster "Thirteen… Birthday…"

She suddenly screamed and her hands shot up to hold her head, shaking and falling to her knees.

"Whoa, whoa! I need help here!"

Anne just screamed and screamed as pain shot through her head, shaking and sobbing.

"It hurts!" she cried as a policewoman came in to comfort her "I can't remember anything!"

"Hush now," the policewoman brought her into a soft embrace "The pain will go away, just don't try to remember anything right now…"

Anne sobbed more, covering her face until she blacked out.

* * *

"We've found your daughter, Anne," the policeman said calmly to Mr Valentine, Ms Lockhart and Jack "But she's suffering from amnesia. She can't remember anything other than the events which occurred when she was rescued and her name."

"May we see her?" Mr Valentine asked as Ms Lockhart looked like she'd burst into tears soon.

"I'm sure that would be safe for her health," the doctor next to the policeman nodded "You see, whenever she tries to remember, she experiences some unexplained migraines which lead to a blackout."

"She's…developed migraines?" Ms Lockhart swallowed and stared at the doctor in distraught.

"Unfortunately, yes," the doctor nodded grimly "We don't know how she's got them, but they come out of nowhere if she tries to remember what happened on the night of her disappearance."

"Oh, what if my poor Margret is still out there with a worse condition?" Ms Lockhart sobbed as she leaned into Mr Valentine's shoulder.

"We could send a team to the cabin your daughter was found in," the policeman suggested "Anne doesn't seem to be physically harmed though, I might hope that your eldest daughter could be alive and well."

The door opened and Anne was nudged in by the policewoman. Jack sprung up to his feet.

"Anne!" he cried happily and ran to hug her.

Anne's breath was knocked out of her as she stumbled, holding the doorframe for support. She looked down at Jack blankly in confusion.

"Anne," the policeman spoke up as her parents stood to attention "These are your parents."

"Anne," Ms Lockhart stepped forward carefully "Is that really you?"

"We were so worried," Mr Valentine smiled.

Anne looked at both of them blankly.

"Parents…" she echoed softly.

Her face scrunched up in pain as she cried out and nearly collapsed, holding her head.

"Anne!"

Nurses grabbed Anne and took her away from a confused Jack, a distressed mother and a rather upset father. The doctor sighed, shaking his head.

"We're still prescribing her medicine to treat the migraines," he said as Ms Lockhart burst into tears and hugged Mr Valentine "Well, if showing her to you didn't work, then I suggest maybe taking her back home?"

"Would it help her memory?" Mr Valentine asked.

"It might. But because it's where you last saw her before she went missing, you're going to have to introduce her to the house carefully."

* * *

It was silent in the car. Anne was in the front with Mr Valentine driving, looking out at the woods. Jack fumbled in his seat in agitation whilst Ms Lockhart did her best to hold her tears back.

"So, Anne, can you remember any of this?" Mr Valentine asked as he glanced down at his emotionless daughter.

Anne was silent for a couple of seconds and winced in pain when she tried to remember.

"No, don't worry!" Mr Valentine was quick to divert her attention away from remembering "It's not too important."

The pain ebbed away as Anne kept staring at the scenery. Her pupils dilated when she saw their house.

"Wait…"

Mr Valentine parked the car as Anne hopped out and looked up at the house.

"I…was here before."

The family watched by the car nervously as Anne looked around then ran to the playground. Jack followed her carefully as she discovered the swings and sat on one, facing the park. She clenched her hands on the chains.

"I…I played here, didn't I?" she whispered "I played a lot…with him…"

Jack stood around the corner, watching as she began swinging back and forth gently.

* * *

Anne sat at her desk, fingering the wood thoughtfully as her parents cleaned up the dinner things. She had forgotten how to eat which distressed Ms Lockhart a bit. She did look terribly thin, like she hadn't eaten enough. Anne turned her head when Jack came in with a tray. She turned to him fully.

"I made you cookies," he smiled innocently with bright brown eyes.

"Cookies?"

Jack walked up to her and showed her the cookies on the tray. He held one up.

"You eat them," he said.

Anne blinked as she took it and slowly opened her mouth. Jack watched as she thought about how she could eat it and eventually managed to take a bite out of the tasty treat. Her pupils dilated and she looked at Jack.

"You brought me cookies every Friday night," she whispered and Jack's eyes lit up.

"Yes! Yes, I did!" he cried happily.

"Jack…Jack how could I forget…?"

Anne dropped the cookie and cried out as another migraine cut through her mind. Jack grabbed her arm and shook her.

"No! Don't try to remember too hard!"

Anne stood up and stumbled over to her bed.

"I need sleep," she murmured.

"Then go to sleep!"

Jack eagerly helped her out of her clothes and into her pyjamas which were a bit tight for her developed body. But Anne soon snuggled into her bed, nice and warm and Jack leaned over to kiss her forehead.

"I love you, Anne," he said sweetly.

Anne looked at him and smiled.

"I think I love you too," she replied and Jack grinned from ear to ear.

He whispered goodnight and scampered out of the room, slowly closing the door behind him. Anne closed her eyes but only for a brief moment when a wind blew across her room. She opened them to see Slenderman towering over her, stroking her cheek.

_"Anne?"_

"Slenderman."

Slenderman smiled.

_"Let's go home. But before we do, there's a couple of things that need doing."_

* * *

It was five in the morning when Jeremy heard the rapid knocking on his front door. He stumbled downstairs sleepily and opened the door to see Anne, clutching at the doorframe, panting for breath.

"Help me," she pleaded with imploring eyes.

Well, being the gentleman he was, Jeremy let her in and locked the door.

"Don't worry," he smiled "You're safe n-"

Anne gave him a solid punch around the face, knocking him out.

* * *

When Jeremy came to, he was tied to a chair and covered in gasoline. Anne was soaking the whole living room with gasoline and he panicked.

"Anne?"

Anne turned her head and an eerie glow was noticed in her eyes.

"No, no, Anne! Don't let him take your mind completely!"

"Foolish boy," Anne spoke "I've had this girl in my power for over a decade now."

Anne lit a match and Jeremy's eyes widened.

"Oh God, no!"

The last thing Jeremy saw before everything went up in flames was the Slenderman's smirk on Anne's face.

* * *

"Bacon, eggs and chocolate milk," Jack counted the items on the tray and smiled in satisfaction.

Mr Valentine and Ms Lockhart smiled as Jack trotted upstairs to give Anne her breakfast.

"Oh, I'm so glad that we've got her back," Ms Lockhart sighed "My poor baby daughter."

Mr Valentine smiled. It looked like it would be a good autumn this year. But the hope was short-lived as Jack screamed and there was a crash.

"Mommy! Mommy!"

Jack ran downstairs and hugged Mr Valentine as Ms Lockhart rushed upstairs to see what the matter was. She let out an ear-piercing screech. DON'T LOOK FOR ME was written in blood on the wall and on Anne's bed was a charred corpse.


	7. Chapter 7

Anne regulated her breathing as much and quietly as possible as she leaned against her bedroom door, listening to the Rake's movements. She placed a hand over the heart which was beating quickly with the adrenaline. Rake kept scratching his bloody claws across the wooden floor and she closed her eyes, clutching Alice and her notebook with her other arm. She shivered. She was so scared. Tears brimmed her eyes and she remembered that night over a year ago.

* * *

What was happening? Anne stumbled as she found herself in the middle of forest, shaking her head and looking around. How did she even get here?

"Hey, are you alright?"

Anne looked up at the young man who was next to her, his hand on her shoulder.

"Where am I?" she whispered as tears brimmed her eyes "How did I get here? What's going on?"

The last thing she remembered was being in her bedroom, writing but how did she get all the way out into the forest in the night. The young man smiled and hugged her.

"It's alright, I think we're safe," he sat her down on the cool grass.

He held her hand comfortingly and her eyes wandered down to the gun that was on the floor.

"What happened?" she asked with wide eyes.

"It's alright, I think it's dead now," the young man assured her "We're free."

"Free? What's dead? I…"

"I'm here now, I'm going to look after you, I promise."

Anne was conscious when she looked up and smiled up at the young man. And without her control, her mouth moved.

"Thank you. You're my hero."

Everything blacked out when she leaned up, wrapped her arms around the boy and kissed him.

* * *

Anne woke up in her bedroom covered in blood. She let out a terrified scream as she felt paralysed, staring at the blood soaking her arms and staining her dress. Tears collected in her eyes as she sensed someone coming in. She looked up and saw Slenderman, shaking with fear.

"What happened?" she asked as he cupped her cheek "Why am I covered in blood? What's going on?"

_"Ssh…ssh…"_

Slenderman took her to the bathroom where he ran her a hot bath. The generator worked fine, even in the cold harshness of the winter in the mountains. Slenderman held Anne's dress and let Kate take it to wash it. Anne sat still in the bathtub, not noticing Slenderman's hands wander over her naked body to wash the blood off. She shook and sniffed up her tears.

"What happened?" she asked again.

_"You helped me."_

"Helped you with what?"

_"You helped me with a little problem."_

"Little problem? What little problem? What happened to that boy from earlier?"

There was an eerie silence and Anne snapped her head up to Slenderman.

"What happened to him?" she said a little louder.

Again with the eerie silence and Anne's eyes widened.

"I…I killed him didn't I?"

Slenderman smirked and Anne shrunk away from his touch.

"No…no, I couldn't have…I can't have…I can't even bring myself to harm a butterfly, how could I have killed him?!"

_"Anne, calm down."_

Slenderman crouched and cupped her cheek.

_"It's alright. He wasn't important. He had to die."_

"But killing is wrong!"

_"Killing is necessary to survive."_

"But how could I have killed him?"

The smirk grew wider as the other hand cupped Anne's other cheek.

_"My Anne. My little unblemished one."_

"Unblemished…?"

Anne tried to shrink away but Slenderman kept her still. Anne shook.

"What do you mean by…unblemished?" she asked carefully.

There was a soft chuckle.

_"You're more human that the others."_

* * *

Anne shook away his words and hunched her shoulders. More human. What did he mean by that? Anne was a human, right? And what did he mean by others? Other what? Anne asked all these questions but only got riddles. She was unblemished, she was more human, she was special, she was his little Anne. It sent shivers up her spine. And Anne remembered something. He often targeted people who were in the forest and then targeted the people that were linked to them. Anne realised that her family was in danger and she had to warn them. But how? She is guarded by Rake, Kate and Margret. Slenderman said they were there to protect her. Anne felt like they were there to keep her here. She was like a little songbird that was only brought out of its cage to sing.

Anne straightened when she heard Rake growl and stand. She tiptoed to the cracked window and peered through the night. There was a figure approaching the cabin, exhausted and worn out. They opened the door but then ran off as Rake, Margret and Kate began chasing them. Anne ducked out of view as Slenderman appeared at the front of the cabin and watched the chase. Anne waited silently to be summoned but when she saw Slenderman disappear and not come up to her room, she thanked God. They were after a girl this time. Anne was only used for the boys. This was her chance! She probably only had eight minutes to get down to her family and give them the message.

Anne placed Alice by the bed where it looked like there was someone sleeping and carefully opened the bedroom door. Seeing the coast was clear, she carefully tiptoed down to the ground floor. Seeing the metal door open and no Kate or Margret in sight, Anne carefully tiptoed to the front door and opened it. After she confirmed that everyone was in the forest, chasing the poor girl, she ran for it. She cut down slopes and cut straight across the forest. Anne knew roughly the route she was taking, it was a risk to cut through the forest during a chase but it would take longer to go around. Anne prayed to God that she would be able to get to the house to deliver the message.

Anne never noticed any pain as she ran through the night. She decided it was the adrenaline keeping her running. Soon she was in the familiar surroundings of the park and didn't turn back as she made her way to the house. She leapfrogged over the back gate and prayed to God that her family were still in this house then shoved the journal through the letter box. With a soft smile and relief, Anne paused for a brief moment to lean against the door and regain her breath. She softly pressed a kiss onto the door and let a couple of tears run.

"God bless you, Father, Mother and Jack," she wept quietly "I love you and I'm sure Margret loves you too. I'm so happy that I'm here one last time."

She felt choked up, her voice broke and she pushed herself away from the door to run back to the cabin before anyone noticed that she was missing. The tears fell and landed on the forest floor as she ran for her and her family's life. She blindly ran through the dark, avoiding branches and roots that blocked her path. She staggered up the mountain pathways as soon as she came out and panted for breath, feeling slow and pretty pathetic as she ran up the slope. But as soon as she turned the corner, Slenderman was there, angry and his tentacles waving in the air angrily. Anne screamed and fell over, cowering in his shadow.

_"What are you doing out here?" _Slenderman growled and Anne squirmed, wishing she would sink into the ground and disappear _"Answer me!"_

"I…I…" Anne hiccupped as she shivered.

_"I have been looking after you since I found you, abandoned and nowhere to go!" _Slenderman growled and hissed _"I protect you from the world and you repay me by breaking my rules!"_

Anne shivered and closed her eyes. She knew that she hadn't been abandoned but held onto the memories she recovered silently, making sure Slenderman wouldn't notice. If he found out that she knew she had been Annabelle Valentine-Lockhart before, he might kill her or perhaps erase her memories for good. Opening her eyes, Anne got onto her hands and knees.

"I'm sorry," she croaked and crawled towards him "I'm sorry, please forgive me, I just…saw the chase and I wanted to help, please, please forgive me…"

Slenderman watched as she carefully hugged his legs and cried pitifully, begging for forgiveness. After her ramblings just turned into sobs, he smirked and ordered her to stand. As she did, she looked up at him and he cupped her cheek.

_"Hush, my unblemished one," _he cooed _"I forgive you."_

Anne sighed in relief as he picked her up, like a father picking up his young daughter.

_"But there are consequences to your actions."_

Anne's eyes widened as he sunk three fingers into the skin of her back and ripped three nasty gashes across her back. She screamed and cried, holding onto him for comfort as blood dripped onto the ground and sobbed loudly. The gashes healed up but Slenderman's touch in her system burned her body and began stinging like multiple jellyfish had stung her in the same place. She screamed and sobbed as he petted her with his bloodied hand.

_"Naughty girls must be punished."_

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry…" Anne cried into his shoulder.

Slenderman smirked as he carried Anne up the mountain and took the cabin where she could lie down and wait out the pain. As she cried, he stroked her cheek, admiring her submission and her pain. She looked up at him in fear and he smirked. That fear would soon register as respect in the poor girl's mind. She will respect him and eventually come to love him. Slenderman knew she wasn't completely in his control yet. But one day, she won't have to rely on him to know when to hunt or not. She won't make any more attempts to defy him but still have a conscious working mind. One day, she will be the perfect unblemished proxy. She just needed more training.


	8. Chapter 8

"Daddy! Can we have a bedtime story?"

Jack chuckled as his two little children clung onto his legs and looked up at him pleadingly.

"Alright," he said as Laura smiled from the kitchen "Which story do you want? Little Red Riding Hood?"

"We want Auntie Anne's story!"

Laura's smile faded as Jack's heart lurched at the mention of Anne. But Jack kept smiling.

"Alright, I'll go and get it."

The children cheered and ran upstairs. Jack's smile left his face as he went to the bookshelf and reached to the top shelf. He took out a brown journal that was starting to yellow on the pages.

"Jack, do you want me to read it to them tonight?" Laura asked as she placed the tea towel down and walked up to him, holding his arm.

"No…I'll read it…" Jack said as he held a brave smile on his face "It's just…been so long since I last saw her…"

He brushed his hand over the cover thoughtfully, tears brimming his brown eyes.

"Jack, it's OK. I'm here for you, you know that right?"

Jack hugged Laura for her comfort and closed his eyes to let the tears fall.

"I know how much she meant to you," Laura whispered as she hugged him back.

Jack sniffed up the tears and sighed. He composed himself and walked upstairs as Laura continued cleaning the dishes. Jack sat in between the twin beds and opened the journal to start reading. But the moment he saw the first misspelt word, the message Anne had encoded flashed in his head. He bit his lip and closed the book.

"Kids, you know your Auntie Anne disappeared when she was very young," he said and they looked up at him curiously.

"Yes, Daddy?" Anne, whom Jack named after his big sister.

"Are you going to tell us what happened?" Vincent asked as he bounced up into a seating position.

Jack sighed and looked down at the journal.

"Actually, I don't know what happened," he said "Auntie Anne disappeared on her thirteenth birthday with Auntie Margret. Two years later, she was found in a cabin in the mountains and rescued."

"Rescued from what?"

The children were sitting closer to him now.

"The boy who found her described a very tall man in a suit with no face."

The children gasped and brought their blankets closer.

"No face?"

Jack nodded and sighed, looking down at the journal.

"Auntie Anne had no memory of me nor your grandparents when she came home," he said "And that night, she was gone again."

Jack cut out the blood and gore parts of the story.

"Did that thing take her again?" Vincent whispered fearfully.

"Yes, I think it did," Jack nodded "And then suddenly, two years later, this came through the letterbox."

He held up the journal.

"Auntie Anne wrote this story and gave it to me and your grandparents."

"Why didn't she come home then?" Vincent asked.

"Yeah, if she managed to get the story to you, why didn't she come home?" Anne tilted her head.

Jack sighed as he stroked the spine of the journal.

"She encoded a message into the story," he said "I noticed that the story had spelling mistakes in and it was strange because your Auntie Anne had excellent spelling and grammar in her stories. I decided to correct them for her…then realised that she had done a message."

He opened the journal and turned to the back of the book where he had listed the corrections.

"Jack, thank God you found the hidden message," he said and the children inched forward "And if this gets to you, then I've managed to escape my captor briefly. Move away from the house, tell Mother and Father, convince them to move back to the city. You aren't safe. It's too late for me and Margret. I am fine, I'm well, I think. I can't return though, not like this. It'd be too dangerous. He'll get all of you and it would all be my fault. He talks to me, takes control of my mind, he makes me do things that I don't want to do. He says, I'm not human but I'm more human than the others. Margret has been turned into a mindless monster and there's another person with her called Kate. There are more of them though, I've only seen Margret and Kate. They live in the mountains, in the mines, waiting to be released, to be used. There is another creature that makes sure I stay in the cabin and I think there are more creatures out there that he knows and uses for his victims. If you stay any longer or see him, then you'll become his victim too. Please, Jack. Please don't stay. Forget about me and leave, I can't be saved. Save yourself. I love you."

By the end of the letter, tears filled Jack's eyes but he wiped them away and closed the journal.

"So," he sighed "I told your grandparents and we left the woods, leaving your Auntie Anne behind like she requested."

"Why didn't the police try to find her again?" Anne asked.

"They did, they sent a private investigator to the cabin where Anne was found," Jack replied and looked out of the window "And he did find her there."

"So why isn't she back?"

Jack grimaced and looked at them.

"He described her as eerily beautiful, staring at a cracked mirror. She saw his reflection and turned around to utter a single word."

"What word was that?"

Jack sighed and chuckled.

"Run."

"And he ran?"

"He ran as fast as he could as she screamed and the creatures came out at once to attack him. He escaped with barely an inch of his life."

"Oh, so that's good," Vincent smiled.

"Good?"

Jack chuckled and shook his head.

"The poor man disappeared a week later," he smiled "We told the police to not send any more people up there in case the others suffered the same fate."

The twins looked at each other in a puzzled manner then looked up at Jack.

"Will Auntie Anne ever escape the tall man, Daddy?" Anne asked.

Jack looked out of the window again, where he could just see the mountains on the horizon.

"I hope she does," Jack murmured "But maybe…maybe not right away."

Shaking his head, Jack smiled and opened the journal.

"Let's listen to her story."

As the children snuggled themselves into their bed, Jack contemplated the story itself. It was a story that spoke about what Anne wanted to have happened since the day they moved into the house in the forest. There was no tall man in a suit that she saw on the first day, Anne wasn't Autistic, she did well in her education, she met someone special, got married and had three children. She named them Zero, Faith and Jack. They would go canoeing and she would be a well renowned author. Her husband would build them a massive treehouse which had a slide that the children could use to slide into the water. The story ended with Margret getting married and being nice to Anne for the first time. Jack smiled sadly. If only she were here to see his family. As Jack read the last line, he prayed to God that Anne would one day fulfil her dream of having a family.

_As I watched my elder sister disappear into the car with her new husband, I thought to myself that the only thing important to you should always be your happiness_


End file.
